A New Path
by FanGirl10
Summary: The second worst day of Rose Tyler's life leaves her reeling. She has her Doctor but if Rose has learned anything about life with him it is that trouble and heartache are his true constant companions. Stuck in Pete's World, can they work through their anger and mistrust of each other in time to stop history from repeating itself?
1. Chapter 1

The Doctor slipped his hand into Rose's and watched as his ship began to dematerialize. He closed his eyes and mentally reached out for his oldest friend one last time. _Good-bye Old Girl, take care of him._

_We will see, have seen, are seeing you soon my thief. Prepare my cub._

The Doctor stiffened, his mind racing over the possible meanings of his Tardis' words.

_Wait!_ He called out. _What do you … prepare what ..._

He stifled a groan as the Tardis finished dematerializing, leaving his questions unanswered. Enigmatic as always. The Face of Boe had nothing on his Old Girl.

Shaking his head, he buried the mysterious words and drew a deep breath, coughed, and then thumped himself on the chest several times. Drawing several more deep breaths, he laughed. "One heart. That's just rubbish! How do you humans cope, Rose?"

Rose sobbed and dropped his hand. He blinked and reached for her but she shied away and strode off down the beach. "Rose?" He took a step to follow but Jackie's hand curled around his arm.

"Leave her for a bit, Doctor. She's worked so hard …"

He quirked an eyebrow. "Thought you'd be happy with this arrangement, Jackie."

She smiled and fought the wind to push her hair from her eyes. "Oh, I am, but …" she bit her lip. "No secret she never wanted to be here. For three years she's worked to get back to you and, well, this wasn't what she expected." She chuckled. "Wasn't what any of us expected. Only you could copy yerself …"

"Jackie, I didn't copy myself. The meta crisis resulted in two of me but both _are_ me. Same memories, same Time Lord abilities, same man. Just one of us has a human body."

Jackie waved her hand. "Oh I heard ya earlier. Doesn't matter to me," She shook her finger at him." Long as ya don't go bringin' alien chaos down on all our heads, I'm happy to have ya here. My Rose can finally settle down and have a proper life."

The Doctor frowned. Proper life? Was that what was expected of him now? He'd never done a _proper_ thing in his life, and come to think of it, just what constituted a proper life anyway? Was that life defined as beans on toast, telly, mortgages, and a nine to five job? Was it two point five kids, a dog, and carpools? Was that the kind of life Rose wanted?

He shuddered. Why couldn't a proper life be seeking new vistas, expanding one's horizons as it were? Really, who was to say —

"Doctor!"

He shook his head to abandon his inner ramble and focused on Jackie Tyler. A very irritated Jackie Tyler if the expression on her face was any indication. He took a step back. "Ahhh, yes Jackie?"

She snorted. "Ya haven't heard a word I've said …" She held up her hand and shook her head. "Don't deny it, head in the clouds no doubt. Anyway, I was saying that I've called Pete." She looked out at the grey clouds building over the white capped ocean. "There's a storm movin' in. He's sendin' a taxi to bring us into Bergen but flights are cancelled until this," she waved her hand. "This all blows over. So, we're stayin' the night. Go get Rose, would ya?"

She walked off toward the dunes, muttering something about energy satellites and bloody blips being more important to Pete than meeting his wife. The Doctor chuckled, thinking of the likely future state of Pete Tyler's cheeks as he walked across the sand to where Rose was standing, looking out to sea.

He frowned as he took in her slumped shoulders and the tears streaming down her pale cheeks. This would not do. He came to a stop behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Ignoring how she stiffened, he nuzzled her neck and whispered, "That's enough crying, Rose. Everything will be all right —"

He froze as Rose whirled around. "NO! No it won't. Don't touch me, just leave me alone!"

"Rose …" His hands closed around her shoulders and Rose went wild, pummeling his chest and screaming like a banshee.

The Doctor's mouth dropped open in shock but he stepped back as Jackie Tyler ran by him and wrapped her arms around Rose. "Ssh, love. You need to calm down. Like the Doctor said, it'll be all right–"

Rose shook her head. "He left me Mum!" Her lips quivered and the Doctor's stomach tightened into a knot. Of all the reactions he'd imagined Rose having, this one hadn't entered his mind.

His eyes narrowed as he watched her succumb to hysterics. Something was off. Rose's eyes, what he could see of them through the tears, were huge, pupils blown, the irises glimmering with flecks of gold.

He flinched as a barrage of emotions, fear, loneliness, anger, despair battered his mind. Was that Rose? It had to be and yet it was impossible!

She couldn't, shouldn't be able to … Her ramble of words, 'he left me, he left me' uttered in a defeated whimper, broke through his analysis and he gulped.

He moved closer and took Rose's hand, leaning down to nuzzle her ear. "I didn't leave you Rose, I'm right —"

"NO!" Rose screamed, making him jump. "You're not!" Her voice climbed octaves as tears streamed from her wide hazel eyes. "I'm sorry, so sorry but you're not …"

He dropped her hands as Rose sank to the wet sand, clutching her head with white knuckled hands. "You're not my Doctor!" She sobbed and muttered incoherently. "My Aberdeen … not you … he lied!" Eyes scrunched up, rocking and whispering the words "not you" over and over, she pounded her temples and sobbed.

He shook off his shock and knelt beside her, moving to pull her into his arms but Jackie pushed him aside, grasping Rose's shoulders. "Rose! Rose snap out of it!" Jackie released her daughter and started searching Rose's pockets. "Oh where are they? Bloody hell, please tell me she carried them with her!"

The Doctor tugged on Jackie's shoulder. "What? What are you looking for?"  
Jackie shrugged him away and continued rifling through Rose's jacket as Rose tried to pull away.

Rose's voice rose as she pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes and rocked faster. "My head, it's killin' me!"

The Doctor tensed at her words, visions of a golden Rose framed by the open doors of his Tardis filling his mind. He swallowed hard, frozen in place by the fear that flooded him. She was burning, the vortex was killing her and it was all his fault —

He shook his head and forced himself to focus. That was just a memory, he reminded himself, he'd saved Rose. Rose was safe. He let the phrase flow through his mind like a mantra and turned to Jackie.

"Rose! Damn it, please sweetheart you need them, help me find them!"

Rose continued to pound the sides of her head. The Doctor had no idea what was going on but he could at least stop Rose from harming herself. He moved behind her and pulled her arms down, wrapping his tightly around her as she fought him.

"Jackie! What the hell is wrong with Rose and what are you looking for?"

He winced as his head began to pound with the force of Rose's mental attack. He drew a deep breath and strengthened his metal shields. The sudden quiet allowed him to turn his focus back to Rose. He tightened his grip and pulled her wiggling body onto his lap, wrapping one of his legs around hers as she kicked and struggled.

"Ah hah!" Jackie sat back, a small brown bottle clutched in her hand. A look of triumph on her face, she shook a tiny pink pill into the palm of her hand and held it to Rose's mouth. "Come on, love, open for me."

Jaw tight, Rose shook her head.

"Rose! You've got to! Remember what happened last time?" Jackie tried again to push the pill past Rose's lips. "Please Rose!"

The Doctor loosened his hold on Rose to reach for the pill and then yelped as Rose shoved him and jumped to her feet, running across the sand. "Rose!"

He looked back to Jackie. "What is going on? What are those pills and what happened last time?"

Jackie waved her hand. "Never mind that now! Go get her! She needs that pill!"

Frustrated at not knowing what the hell was going on, the Doctor nevertheless ran after Rose, catching her easily. No surprise, she fought him.

"Oof!" He grunted as she wheeled around, her foot connecting with his stomach. "Rose Tyler! When did you master a round house kick?"

Not expecting or waiting for a reply, he tackled her and then tossed her over his shoulder, sprinting back to Jackie.

Ignoring Rose's sputtered profanities and assaults on his back, he met Jackie's eyes and demanded, "Now then, what is wrong with Rose?"

"She's got to take this pill! Last time she got like this she was in a coma for a week!"

The Doctor gaped. "What? What the hell is going on? When did this happen?"

Jackie huffed and tried again to push the pill into Rose's mouth. "Was when she was usin' that jumper thingy. Came back screamin' you were dead and then she got like this and they tried to sedate her but nothin' worked and then she passed out and didn't wake up for five days!"

Jackie grunted as Rose got a hand free and swiped at her. "Doctor! You've got to get her to take this! It's the only sedative that worked."

He shook his head. "No Jackie, she doesn't need some archaic twenty-first century drug. Just let me think a moment."

"What do you mean–who are you to say she doesn't need this? You're not Rose's doctor–"

He rounded on her. "I rather think you'll find that I am, in fact, Rose's Doctor, Jackie Tyler, so kindly shut up and let me think!"

Ignoring the huffs of anger coming from Jackie, the Doctor lowered Rose to the ground but kept her pinned within the circle of his arms. His eyes searched Rose's face, again noting the blown pupils and locked jaw. She looked savage, wild, almost animalistic and he wondered if Rose was even aware.

He lowered his mental shields to assess her mental state and was again battered by emotions of despair, and defeat coupled with an almost vicious anger but listening harder he heard her mentally shrieking two words over and over. _My Doctor, my Doctor._

He was not surprised. She was lost in her grief and screaming for him and just telling her he was there was not enough. His mouth twisted into a grimace of distaste as he settled on a course of action.

He'd have to … on his planet, entering her mind uninvited was tantamount to rape and Rose had always been so protective of her mind.

He gulped, remembering her anger at finding out the Tardis was in her head and that had only been to provide translations! What he was proposing was far more intimate and being honest with himself, he had to acknowledge that he'd yearned for a mental connection with Rose since she'd traveled with his ninth self.

He swallowed several times and fought against the excitement welling within him; now was not the time. He fed the flickers of guilt swirling amongst his feelings of desire and managed to rein in his emotions enough to focus on Rose. No matter how much he'd wanted this connection he had never wanted it to come about this way, without her consent. He only hoped she would forgive him.

Sliding his palms across her cheeks, he wrapped his fingers around her ears and pressed his thumbs to her temples. He ignored her continued struggles and lightly nudged her mind. What mental shields she might have had were crumbling in the face of her grief and hysteria, offering him little resistance to her surface thoughts. He sent her thoughts of comfort and assurance that he had not left her and felt her emotions calm slightly, though the rage continued to batter at him.

State of hysterical unconsciousness averted, the Doctor moved deeper into her mind. Rose, calmer but probably terrified Rose, had to be somewhere amongst the turmoil.

He mentally walked through her mind, sparing a thought of how she'd chosen to organize her thoughts and memories. He'd of liked to stop and ponder how utterly unlike any human mind hers was but finding Rose was priority at the moment; Time Lord curiosity would have to wait.

He passed a row of file cabinets and a padlocked door before he heard it; whimpering. Speeding up, he rounded a corner and stopped, mentally gaping at the sight of Rose huddled in a ball and surrounded by golden light.

Rasillon! She'd locked herself within her own mind.

Fear bubbled within him as he calculated how long he had before she became permanently trapped. He gulped. Not long.

_Rose …_

He stepped closer, trying again to get a response.

_Rose!_

Her head lifted from her knees and he smiled, extending a hand.

She ignored it, scooting back and shaking her head. Her rage swept over him. _NO! You're not him! Get out!_

The Doctor winced at the volume of her mental shout and took a step closer.

_Rose, I am him, your Doctor._ He extended his hand again. _Come on, love, take my hand._

Her eyes flashed gold as she jumped to her feet. _Don't call me that! He wouldn't say that! You're not him! I need him!_

Stubborn woman! He pursed his lips, tamping down on the fear that was feeding a rising anger, but not succeeding. _Rose Tyler! Come here!_

Hands on her hips, Rose tossed her head back and glared at him. _Make me, if you think you can!_

His eyebrows rose to his hairline. Defiance and challenge. Well, this was certainly a new side of his Rose. She'd always stood up to him but this? She was bristling with anger. If she'd had fur her hackles would have been standing straight up.

He shook the fanciful thoughts away and straightened his spine. If his Rose wanted to play rough … Time was running out and his fear and anger overrode common sense. He drew his anger inward, felt it swirl and eddy through his mind, electric and alive.

His palms grew hot, fingers tingling as psychic energy swirled around and through him. He let the storm build to a quarter of its full strength and strode toward Rose and her golden prison.

Standing inches from the swirling gold, he met her eyes, very much aware of what she must be seeing in his. To his surprise, Rose bared her teeth and then laughed! She laughed in the face of the Oncoming Storm! His lips quirked. Only Rose Tyler …

Amused and impressed or not, this had to end. Sending her the most calming and soothing thoughts he could manage under the circumstances, he drew a deep breath and reached through the golden swirls, taking her hand.

The air rushed from his lungs as her finger tips brushed his. An snarl filled his mind as the force of her psychic energy sent waves of pain up his arm. It pummeled him, pushing him back. Having the presence of mind to tighten his grip, he allowed it to move him, pulling Rose with him.

He collapsed to the wet sand, clutching Rose to his chest as he drew ragged breaths. He lifted his arm, staring at his tingling hand. What the hell had just happened? Never, not even with another Time Lord had he ever encountered such mental energy. He shook himself and sat up, ignoring Jackie's shrieks, to attend to Rose.

He rolled her onto her back, checked her pulse and then searched her face. Her breathing was rapid and shallow but the emotions rolling off of her were starting to calm and she was looking at him. He was relieved to see that her eyes were back to normal. A bit dazed but no traces of gold. He made a mental note to explore that peculiarity along with what had happened in her mind later. For now he'd settle for seeing his Rose return to her usual, rational self.

"Hello, all right now?" He smiled.

Rose's lip quivered and tears once again flooded her eyes but she nodded. "Yeah, I think so." She sat up and looked around, gaze lighting on Jackie. "What happened?"

Jackie pulled Rose into her arms. "What happened, she asks! I'll tell ya what happened, ya scared me to death, that's what!" She drew back and gave Rose a little shake. "You were hysterical, just like last time, and ya wouldn't take yer pill —"she drew a shaky breath. "I don't know what I'd o' done if the Doctor hadn't been here!"

Rose sighed. "Don't call him that, Mum. He's not …" she dragged a hand through her hair and got to her feet. "He's not the Doctor."

The Doctor got to his feet and grabbed Rose's arms, forcing her to face him. "Rose Tyler, you've given up on me, again!"

She struggled against his grip, slumping when he refused to let her go. Looking down at her feet she mumbled, "I never did, I never gave up not for three years!" She raised her eyes to his and he nearly broke at the sadness reflected in her deep brown eyes and the dead tone of her voice.

"But he did, he left me. He broke his promise." Her gaze moved to the pounding surf. "I'm not tryin' to hurt you, really I'm not, but you're not what I need, I need him."

Her voice dropped so low he had to bend his head to hear as she whispered, "I need my Time Lord."

"Rose Tyler," The Doctor sighed, drew her hands to his chest and waited.

He smirked as her head jerked up and she met his eyes.

"But … but. You left, you said you were — how?" She released a shaky breath. "Why?"

He stroked her cheek and brushed a kiss across her forehead before whispering in her ear. "Because your Time Lord needs you too."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm taking my time with this story, making sure I've said just what I want to before I post so I'll probably only post once a week.

* * *

Rose pressed her forehead against the window, letting the cool glass soothe the ache in her head. God! Two doses of paracetamatol and it still persisted as a dull throb. Probably just needed sleep. She sighed and rubbed her forehead knowing that wasn't likely to happen any time soon.

She shoved down the pain and counted the seconds between the streaks of lightening and the crashes of thunder that followed. Four seconds. Not long then before the oncoming storm made landfall. She smirked and let her thoughts drift to her own Oncoming Storm, no doubt pacing a hole in the hotel's already threadbare carpet.

She grunted and acknowledged that he had a right to be angry with her. Snogging and then slapping tended to do that to a bloke and God only knew what she might have done while she was out of it. She frowned, wondering again just what had happened on the beach.

Why wouldn't he tell her and worse, how had he gotten her mum to go along with the idea of keeping her in the dark? She dragged a hand through her hair and groaned. Really, if she wanted answers she was going to have to go and talk to him.

She straightened and took a step toward the door. No, he may have had a reason to be angry with her for slapping and then walking away from him but, well, his crimes were much greater and so was her anger. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed again. Angry or not, she really, really wanted to be with him …

"For God's sake, Rose, just go to him already!"

Rose pursed her lips. "Mum, for the last time, just leave it!"

The telly clicked off, warning Rose to brace herself for a Jackie tirade. Five, four, three, two –

"I will not just leave it! Rose Marion Tyler you're acting like a child! So you thought he'd left you with the copy or whatever the other one was, he didn't, you got what you wanted, so what is the problem?"

Rose gaped. "What is the problem? Mum! He lied to me! There was no reason to –"

She pointed a finger. "And now he has you doing it!" She narrowed her eyes. "Don't look at me like that, Mum, I know you're keeping something from me. More happened on that beach than me crying hysterically."

She paced around the room. "What aren't you telling me? The last thing I remember is watching the Tardis dematerialize." She rubbed her forehead as the pain intensified along with her agitation. "I remember feeling … shocked that he'd just left without saying good-bye and I was sad of course, and then …" her brow furrowed as she tried to remember. She shivered as a memory of intense anger crashed over her and a jolt of pain rippled through her skull. "I … I was so _angry_ …"

"Rose?"

Rose jumped and whirled around as her mother's hand fell onto her shoulder. Jackie's face was lined with worry, her mouth tight. "What is it? What's wrong –"

"Nothing! Nothing at all." Jackie shrugged and turned away. "S'just, I thought you wanted to know why he tricked ya into thinking he was the other one …"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Tricked? Call it what it is, he lied! Why would he do that?"

"Oh for pity's sake, Rose! He's an alien, a right proper nutter of an alien. Who knows what goes through that big ol' brain."

Rose huffed. "Like that's an excuse? So, in future, any time he does something behind my back, lies to me, keeps things from me or … or decides leaving me is for my own good I should just blow it off cuz he's an alien?"

Jackie snorted and rose from the bed. "'Course not. 'S not what I'm sayin' at all. But there's lies and then there's _lies_." Jackie gave Rose a pointed look. "He lies like that and you give him a proper slap and his walkin' papers, but this?" Jackie pulled Rose into her arms and stroked her hair. "Sweetheart, I'm not sayin' I like the fact that he tricked ya but you don't even know the reason. He stayed Rose! Left his ship behind and everything! And it's obvious what he whispered to ya on that beach. Don't you at least want to know his reasons before ya kick 'em to the curb?"

Rose smirked. "Like I could ever do that, more fool me …" She groaned and walked to the door. "You're right, Mum. He is a daft alien but more to the point, I want to know what the hell he was thinkin' when he decided to pull this stunt and what he's not tellin' me now. Don't wait up …"

Rose strode down the hall, anger coupled with curiosity spurring her on but once in front of his door she found her confidence evaporating. Yes she was angry, had been angry with him the entire ride to the hotel.

But his anger had been palpable too. She'd calmed down, some, but if he hadn't there would undoubtedly be an unholy row and did she really have the energy for that right now?

She sighed and rolled her head back, stretching her neck and scrubbed her palm across her eyes. No, she really didn't. Between whatever happened on the beach and her crazy flight across dimensions, she was exhausted; mentally and physically and her head …

Rose blew out a breath and turned only to be brought up short by the door opening. She rolled her eyes and turned to see the Doctor leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, his lips curved into a lazy smile.

"Did you miss me?"

Smarmy git! Rose closed her eyes and bit her lip before she could say something guaranteed to start the fight she dreaded. But that smirk, that sexy smirk filled her mind and his standing there so casually … ooh, she didn't know whether to slap or snog that smirk off of his face!

She settled for fixing her expression into her stern, Torchwood commander face and looked down her nose at him. "Really Doctor, I am not amused."

Her heart fluttered as his oh so kissable mouth spread into an enormous grin and his big brown eyes twinkled like a thousand stars. "Oh! Well done, Rose. Could give old Queen Vicky a run for her money!"

He laughed and waggled his eyebrows at her and Rose was lost. Her lips twitched as she tried to hold back.

"Oooh, was that a smile?" He stepped closer and leaned down to meet her eyes. "Yep! That's a smile."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Stop it. I'm mad at you!"

He grinned and tugged her into his room. "Oh, but where's the fun in that?"

Rose allowed him to pull her into a hug and had to stifle a groan as her muscles relaxed and the ache in her head tapered off. It just felt so good to lean on him, to let everything go and just be.

Her stomach flipped as he pressed his forehead to hers and whispered, "Hello …"

Her arms tightened around him. "Hello."

They stood wrapped in their embrace for another long minute before Rose drew back and shook her finger. "This doesn't mean I've forgiven you or that I'm not mad any more. This is just a little time out because I –"

"I missed you too."

Rose sighed and melted back into his arms, pushing aside her anger and confusion to revel in the feeling of being against his lean body. She pressed her cheek to his chest and absorbed the comforting thrum of his dual heartbeats washing over her.

Oh how she'd missed this! The feel of his hands running up and down her back, the scents of cinnamon, wool, and something she never could place but was uniquely him … she loved him, no matter what he'd done or why; her heart undeniably belonged to the Doctor.

Rose stood within the circle of his arms; enjoying one more moment of peace before her rational mind had its way. She sighed, no more putting off the inevitable. She wiggled free, ignoring his noise of protest, and went to stand by the window.

"I …" she took a deep breath and summoned her Torchwood training. _Calm, rational, separate from the emotions of the scene, another deep breath Rose, you can do it._

"I need some answers, Doctor."

He quirked an eyebrow and flashed that devil may care grin but Rose maintained her professional demeanor. He sighed and jammed his hands into his pockets, a sure sign that he was intending to evade.

"Oh all right, what do you need to know?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Everything?"

Rose shook her head and reminded herself to stay calm and detached as he snorted and sent her a look that told her she'd asked a question that proved the origin of her species.

"How about we start with why you decided it was a good idea to pretend you were the clone?" She gestured toward his blue suit. "Why go to such lengths?"

He scowled. "He isn't a clone, he _is_ me. I told you, same memories, same genius mind, same extra senses, just wrapped in a one hearted body …" he scratched the back of his neck and muttered. "For now …"

Rose frowned. "I've heard all of this before and you are avoiding my question. And what do you mean, for now?"

He waved his hand. "Not important –"

"Doctor! You brought it up so it clearly is! What does _for now_ mean and does it have anything to do with why you stayed?"

He grimaced and stood straighter, staring down his nose at her. "Really Rose, does it matter why I stayed instead of him?" He paced across the room and back and then turned, pinning her with an accusing glare. "I mean, anyone would think you'd have preferred him over me!"

Rose glared at him. "You know very well that isn't true so stop changing the subject!" She dragged a hand through her hair and grimaced as the all too familiar nagging pulse began to flicker at her temples. "Doctor, just tell me why, start at the beginning and … oooh," she stamped her foot. "Just tell me why you stayed!"

He sniffed and looked out the window. "I told you why, back on the beach."

Rose closed her eyes and prayed for patience. "No, you told me you loved me. Not that I'm not … I mean …" She clenched her jaw and fought to keep herself from screaming in frustration. A deep breath and then another, repeat of her mantra … She sighed, feeling a bit more in control.

"Ok. You want me to believe that you stayed with me because you love me, right?"

His gaze flitted to hers, a quick nod, and then away again to look out at the churning sea.

A breathy laugh escaped her trembling lips. "Not that I don't think that is the best news I've heard in my life but …" Rose walked over and squeezed his shoulder. "Doctor, you've said the other you loved me too!"

Her jaw tightened and anger crept into her voice. "And today on that damned beach you did your best to convince me that I'd be just as happy with the human you so … so forgive me if I don't think that was your only reason for this, this charade."

His shoulders slumped as he sighed. Turning, he took her hand and met her eyes. He smirked and shook his head. "Rose Tyler, never could fool you, could I?"

She raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

He squeezed her hand and then dropped it to tug on his ear lobe. "Ahh, right then. From the beginning you said?"

Rose nodded and seated herself at the room's small table. She gestured to the chair across from her but he shook his head and began to pace.

"Hmmm, where to start … almost dying by Dalek? Cheating regeneration? Nah, you were there for those." He took another turn around the room and then stopped and propped himself against the door. His brown eyes met and held hers for several seconds before flitting to the view outside. He swallowed hard, rubbed the back of his neck, and cleared his throat.

"There uh … there might have been something in the timelines that suggests that um … I and not the MetaDoctor, have to be here and the Tardis confirmed it." He looked at her, shrugged and spread his arms wide. "So, here I am!"

Rose blinked. Had to be there? Timelines? Had he just - so there was a problem here, he was just preserving the –

She clutched her once again aching head and swallowed hard, forcing words passed her tight throat. "So, all of that … loving me – "Her lip trembled. "That was just rubbish, yeah? You didn't mean any of it! You were just doing your job, you …"

She stood up so quickly the chair tipped and crashed to the floor. Hands shaking as she fought for control, Rose stalked across the room to stand in front of him.

"You're … you are only here because your - your spidey-sense time thingy said you should, not because you wanted to be with me. You lied. You lied and manipulated my feelings –"She laughed. "What? Did you not want to waste time training a new companion- "her voice broke on a sob.

"Rose …,"

She swatted his hands away. "No! Don't Rose me, and don't touch me either!" She stepped back and bit her lip until she had her emotions under control. She blinked back tears and met his eyes. "Why did you pretend? Why not just say that you needed to stay here? I'd of helped you, just like always. Why make me think …"

Rose spun around and stumbled to the window, pressing her face against the glass as the tears spilled over her lashes. Damn her loss of control! So much she still needed to say but her throat was so tight she couldn't speak. She closed her eyes and let the tears flow down her cheeks.

She stiffened when his arms came around her, pressing his chest to her back. "Did—"She brushed the tears away and swallowed, forcing the words out. "Didn't I just say –"

"Hush. I'm going to talk and you are going to listen instead of just assuming." His hands moved to her shoulders. "You're very tense, and I noticed you rubbing your forehead." He nuzzled her neck and his breath ghosted across her cheek, making her shiver. "Are you feeling all right?"

She should jerk away from him, rant, hell, slap him! But his arms around her felt so good and she couldn't find the strength to do any of those things. "I'm a little tired. Just … just finish what you were saying, yeah?"

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Good girl. I may have enacted a bit of subterfuge with the MetaDoctor, for a very good reason I might add, but I can assure you that I would never have said …" he cleared his throat. "It would have been cruel to say something like that and not mean it and you thinking that I would …" He gave her a light squeeze. "I'm making an effort not to be insulted, Rose."

Rose shook her head and whispered. "What am I supposed to think? You say something so wonderful while pretending to be someone else and now …" She snorted. "You can't even bring yourself to say it again!"

His arms tightened around her waist as he nuzzled her cheek. He sighed and brushed a feather light kiss across her temple. "I'm sorry, I'm rubbish at this type of thing you know that! Just, just know that I meant every word."

Rose closed her eyes, wanting to believe, to revel in the words and the emotions they triggered but something nagged at her, pulling her away from complete acceptance. She turned and met his eyes. "Just answer me this, if … if the time lines hadn't suggested it, would you have stayed or left me here with your clo—I mean the MetaDoctor?"

His gaze drifted away to look over her shoulder and Rose had her answer. She pulled free and tried to walk away but he stopped her. "Rose, you don't understand! He _is _me! He loves you too and you'd of been just as happy with him –"

She shook him off. "No I wouldn't, Doctor! I spent three years working around the clock to get back to you! I wanted –"she swallowed hard. "No, I _needed_ you, this you, the Time Lord you."

He straightened and cocked his head, tongue pressing against the back of his teeth. "You said that before, screamed it actually." Eyes narrowed, he stepped closer and grabbed her chin, looking into her eyes. "Why so insistent you _need _the Time Lord me, hmmm?"

He continued to peer down at her with a look Rose recognized as his 'this is a curious, perplexing mystery that I need to solve' stare. The only things missing were the brainy specs!

And there he went again; all traces of the earnest lover gone as if he'd never existed. Spots appeared before her eyes as her brain erupted in pain. She blinked several times and pulled from his grasp. "Stop it! I'm not a specimen under a microscope!"

She snorted. More proof, if she'd ever really needed any that everything came before his so called feelings for her. Tears pricked her eyes and Rose turned away, fighting down her emotions because if he could shut off his feelings, if he even had any, then by God so could she!

Breathing through her nose, she summoned every bit of her training and willed herself to project nothing but calm indifference. She threw her shoulders back and tilted her chin. "I accept that you think you love me so let's just …" she waved a hand. "S'not important right now. Just stay on track and get back to your explanations, yeah?"

The Doctor's mouth dropped open. Had she not been fighting to hide her hurt and struggling to maintain her facade, Rose would have laughed at his utterly gob smacked expression.

He closed his mouth with a snap and met her gaze, his eyes blazing with emotion. "I don't think, I know! Just forget about it? Not important? Rose Marion Tyler, it's taken me almost five years to tell you I –"

"Doctor!" Rose held up her hand and bit her lip. Her heart was screaming at her to let him finish. Her body wanted to rush into his arms and accept what he was saying but her brain was fighting to remind her that they were just words and he wielded words like deadly weapons.

Logic won the battle. She turned away and took several deep breaths until she had her body and heart under control. She needed to stay focused, no matter how much she wanted to do otherwise.

She dragged a hand through her hair and then quickly lowered it when she couldn't control the shaking. "It … it isn't relevant. Just tell me about the time stuff because I'm too tired for any more emotional drama."

He pursed his lips and then opened his mouth, clearly intending to argue, but Rose held up her hand. "Please? We can sort us," she snorted and rolled her eyes. "Whatever that means, later. Just tell me why you stayed."

He scowled but Rose held his stare, refusing to back down.

"Fine then." A shutter snapped into place and all emotion left his face. He ran a hand through his hair and then nodded. "So, where was I? Oh yes, the timelines."

He shook his head. "Really Rose, spidey-sense time thingy?" He snorted. "Time sense, if you please. Anyway, while we were towing the Earth home I left the console room, do you remember?"

She nodded and ignored the pang in her heart that screamed she'd just hurt him deeply.

"Yes, well I left because the Tardis was nagging me to check the timelines. I thought she meant those concerning putting the Earth back where it belonged but … she kept nudging me to look at yours, mine, and the MetaDoctor's. "

He shook his head. "I'm not clear on what I'm needed here for but it is clear that one possibility for my future, the brightest one, is for me to be here, not the MetaDoctor. And it also suggested your best future was in this universe."

Rose frowned. "Umm, best future?"

He sighed. "I'm not explaining this properly. You see, time isn't a straight line. It's more like a great big ball of wibbly wobbly … stuff and the Time Lords, what we did, our purpose if you will, was to monitor that ball er … web of time, to make sure that it flowed properly and if it didn't we fixed it in a way that would cause the least amount of ripples to the rest of the web." He looked over at her, brow furrowed. "This, are you following me?"

Rose stared at him, open mouthed. He was talking, really telling her about himself and his people! In all of the time she had known him, this was the first time he'd actually shared something of himself.

She resisted the urge to pinch herself and cleared her throat. "Ye … yes, I think so, what did you mean about possibilities?"

His gaze softened and the smile he flashed was tender as he moved closer and stroked his thumb across her cheek. "Ah Rose Tyler, always asking the right questions. Really Rose, I was rubbish without you."

Rose blushed and allowed herself to lean into his touch. Drat the alien and his effect on her! She tamped down on the warm feelings he was arousing and forced herself to meet his eyes with a level look.

He held her gaze for a second, just enough for Rose to see the depth of his emotions before he retreated back to his usual mask of levity.

She gulped. Damn, what had she done? He was opening up to her, like she'd always wanted and now …

She reached out to grab his hand but he pulled away, shoving it into his pocket and launching into his standard lecture mode. He cleared his throat. "Yes, well it's …, the way I see time … it isn't like reading a book. I can look at the web of time and find the snags but, if that snag directly relates to me then it isn't clear what I should do about it or how it will turn out."

He tugged on his ear. "Gallifreyans, that's my species, are born with the ability to see time and we trained to become Time Lords and took on the responsibility of monitoring time but with that ability comes limitations."

He looked around the room and sniffed. "Safeguards really. Kept us in line. Dangerous thing, if Time Lords were all running around changing things to suit themselves."

Rose frowned, feeling like she'd lost the thread of the conversation. "Umm, Doctor? I'm not following. What kept you in line?"

His mouth twisted as he shook his head. "Our inability to see our own futures, of course. Come one Rose, keep up!"

She scowled. "Keep up! You didn't say anything about your not being able to see your own future."

"Sure I did! Possibilities, remember?"

Rose huffed. "Slowly, and using as few words as possible, explain what you mean."

He rolled his eyes. "I just did –"

He waved his hand at her quirked eyebrow. "All right, no need to get testy! Possibilities are what I see when I try and examine my own place within the web of time. Whenever I look into the web I see thousands of potential futures, for everyone and everything. If I sense a problem I can hone in on the anomaly and trace the problem back to its source then decide on a course of action that should result in the best possible outcome."

He snorted. "In the case of my own timeline, I can't do that. I can examine it but only see the biggest of pictures, does that make sense?"

Rose frowned and thought over what he'd just said. "Yeah, you're sayin' you can see the future for everything around you but when it concerns your specific future you can only see what might be."

He smiled. "Yep. As usual, my Rose, boiling it all down to basics." When she didn't return his smile he cleared his throat and continued. "So, I can't see my own future, weeell, I should say I can't see it clearly, just glimpses really, and that goes for anyone whose life is closely tied to mine. For instance, I can't see my companions' futures clearly either at least until they part company with me. Although, I've never been able to see yours from the time that I met you …" He frowned and scratched his head. "Never have figured that out –"

"So," Rose ignored his musing over her timelines, filing it for later in an effort to keep him on track. "Because you saw your timeline continuing in this universe you decided to stay. What made you think that was the best possible outcome?"

He smirked. "Like I said, always asking the right questions! Honestly, Rose, I can't tell you how much I've needed you over the last –"

His words warmed her heart. She buried them to savor later but flashed him a gentle smile before motioning for him to continue. "Focus Doctor …"

"Yes, well, it was the Tardis you see. She brought this particular possibility into focus."

Rose's brow furrowed. "How?"

He clapped his hands and grinned. "Ah, well you may ask! The Tardis can see all that is, all that was, all that ever could be, the same as me _except_ she can see _my_ future just as clearly as all of the others."

Hands in his pockets, he rocked on his heels clearly enthused on the subject. "It's very rare that she interferes like that. So, even though she didn't allow me to see the details she made it clear enough for me to see that it was the best possible choice for all three of us."

"Wow, I … the Tardis …" She shook her head, trying to process everything he'd said.

He grinned. "Told you she is a magnificent ship!"

Rose smiled and nodded but she was distracted. Something he'd said was prodding at her. She ran back through what he'd said about the Tardis. The words he'd used, they seemed so familiar but the reason was just out of her grasp.

Rose closed her eyes, concentrating on the feeling that told her she'd heard those words before. Searching her memory she gasped as a vision of her first Doctor suddenly flashed through her mind. He was staring at something that glowed so brightly she couldn't look at it.

She focused harder, drawing the image closer. His mouth was moving. She stared at the image before her mind's eye, shutting down everything else until it was all she could sense.

His gruff voice filled her ears as he cried out that it was all his fault.

Someone was speaking, the voice vaguely familiar, though it echoed, like they were far away.

She looked at her Doctor, his blue eyes wide and filled with both awe and fear. Rose ached to comfort him but all she could do was watch as he continued to speak to whatever the gold light was.

Rose gasped as a searing pain rocked her skull. Her heart pounded as the echoing words drew closer, filling her mind. Without thought, her lips formed shapes, repeating what she was listening to.

"The sun and the moon, the day and the night. I can see all that is, all that was, all that ever could be."

His mouth dropped open and then snapped shut as he swallowed hard. "But that's what I see, all the time! Doesn't it drive you mad?"

The light dimmed for a moment and someone sobbed. "My head, it's killing —"

"Rose!" She fought to see past the light, to see who was speaking with her Doctor. She struggled to hold on to the scene but something was drawing her away. She struggled, trying to get another look but –

"Rose snap out of it!"

"What …" she blinked and found herself pressed tightly to the Doctor's chest. She searched his face, noting his furrowed brow and wide eyes.

She licked her lips. "Ah, is something the matter?"

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "You tell me."

Rose shook her head and pulled away as far as his arms would allow. "I … I don't know. We were just talking about the Tardis showing you your future and then …" She frowned, trying to recall what had distracted her so much that she didn't remember being in the Doctor's arms but all she could recall was an image of bright blue eyes filled with fear.

She rubbed her temples as the dull throb of her headache made its presence known. "You, you were … no, that's not right." She bit her lip and met his eyes. "I … I was looking at you, old you I mean, and you were …"

She shook her head and sighed. "Never mind, I'm so tired, must be seeing things." She rubbed her eyes. "And my head has hurt off and on all day and now it's really killing me."

He stiffened. "What does it feel like?"

She blinked. "What, my headache?" She huffed. "I don't know, like a headache, yeah?" She wiggled and he released her but continued to stare at her, his expression intense and troubled.

She frowned. What was wrong with him? She dragged a hand across her face and shrugged. She was too tired and her head ached too much to worry about it right now. Best just finish the explanations and go to bed.

"So, something the Tardis showed you made you stay here, yeah?"

"Rose. What did you mean, I was there?"

Rose sighed and shook her head. So much for staying on track. "Nothing. I mean," She shrugged and rubbed her forehead. "Doesn't matter, was just a – a dream yeah? Let's just get back to -"

"And do you often dream while wide awake, Miss Tyler?"

Rose huffed. God but her head was throbbing. Why wouldn't he let it drop? "No of course not! Was just a … a figure of speech. My headache is getting worse and I've had no sleep for days … I mean, only natural I'm hallucinating –"

"Rose, tell me what else you saw."

She frowned at his insistent tone. "I don't remember." She pointed a finger at him. "Besides, you're just trying to change the subject –"

"No!" He shook her. "I'm trying to find out what just caused you to zone out, make your eyes glow like a thousand suns and then talk about things that you should have no memory of!"

Her mouth dropped open and then closed with a snap. She glared at him. "What do you mean, I glowed? And why should I not have a memory of something?"

He waved her question away. "Never mind that now, just answer me. You said your head has ached off and on all day but now it is much worse. What happened right before the pain intensified? Come to think of it, has this happened before? Is this what Jackie was talking about? The reason you needed those pills?"

Rose grit her teeth against the pounding in her head. "Never mind? Never mind! You're keeping something from me, not that I'm surprised, that's all you seem to do! Answer me, why shouldn't I have a memory –"

"You answer me first."

She crossed her arms and tilted her chin. "You know what, Doctor? I'm not playing this game." She stalked toward the door. "In fact, I'm done playing any and all games with you."

"Where do you think you're going? We're not finished yet."

Rose snorted and reached for the door knob. "Oh, we're finished all righ—"

Her phone trilled. She bit back a curse as the Torchwood ringtone filled the heated silence. All she wanted was a soft mattress and she debated ignoring it but duty was ingrained in her. She sighed and jerked it out of her pocket. "Dorothy here," she snapped.

"Dorothy?"

"Not now, I'm busy." She groaned at the stammered apology coming from her phone. "No, not you, I was talking to someone else. What have you got?"

Rose turned her back on the Doctor as he tried to get her attention. She drew a deep breath and pushed aside her anger at the alien git and focused on her job.

"Yes, I see." Her eyes widened. "It did not! Wow, bet there are some unhappy campers in the comm. room! But no other damage, yeah?"

Rose rubbed her neck and fought to focus past the pain in her temples. "What were the readings again?" She clucked her tongue. "Hmmm, no, it's unexpected if it is. What did Malcolm think?"

Rose rolled her eyes as the Doctor sidled closer. She stepped farther away and returned to her call. "So, he suspects it's an after affect of the stars going out but he hasn't any theory as to why nor does he know what type it is."

She dragged a hand through her hair. "Well, without looking at it I can't form an opinion. Load everything on my laptop and send it with the jet. No, I can't see that there is anything we can about it and really, the world hasn't ended yet so I'm thinking it will keep until tomorrow."

She smiled at the response her statement generated and rolled her shoulders, releasing some of her tension. Teasing and joking about the end of the world was routine, and familiar. She'd never thought being reunited with the Doctor would fall second to problems at work as her choice of things to occupy her mind, but she had to admit that for right now, it did.

She sighed as the roaring in her head began to ease. Torchwood and the mini and major crisis it brought were a stress her body was all too comfortable with. Whereas she'd never, in all the time she'd traveled with the Doctor, faced the kind of emotional turmoil her already exhausted body had been bombarded with since she'd set foot on that blasted beach for what she hoped was now the very last time.

She snorted. Who would have guessed Rose Tyler would ever choose techno jargon riddled science geek reports over her Doctor. She shook off the mental wanderings and pushed her focus back to her current distraction of choice.

"Yeah, I should be back in London by one o'clock as long as the weather holds. Yeah, don't worry, I'll come straight in." She shot a warning glare as the Doctor once again entered her personal space. "Anything else?"

Her eyes widened even as she fought off a yawn. "Oooh, yeah, I'm interested! Anyone else looked at it? Hmmm, archives can't figure it out?" She snorted. "No that's not surprising." She cocked her head and processed everything that she'd been told about the situations at Torchwood. "Scarecrow? Just a thought, but have you checked the tech that came through the rift against those strange readings?"

She listened and then sighed. "Nah, figures you'd of thought of that." She smiled and shook her head. "Well, that'd be too easy, yeah?"

Rose yelped as the Doctor pulled out his sonic and aimed it at her phone. She rubbed the back of her neck as her muscles tightened. "Hey, if there's nothing else, I've got to go. Yeah? No, I'll still be in first thing." The sonic whirred and Rose scowled. "Listen, gotta run. You too. Dorothy out."

She pocketed her phone and glared at the Doctor. "Don't try that again, if I wanted you to know what was being said I'd of told you!" She shook her head and headed for the door.

"Rose, I have superior hearing, no need to use the sonic for that." He aimed it at her again and pushed the button.

Rose glared at him. "What are you doing?"

He huffed. "What's it look like? I'm examining you." He frowned down at something on the tool and then glanced back up at her. "What was that all about? And why are you calling yourself Dorothy?"

Rose turned. "I don't need you to examine me, I told you I'm fine, just a headache. Nothing some sleep won't cure." She dragged a hand through her hair. "And Dorothy is my code name. Torchwood phone or not, mobile lines aren't completely secure and no one knows I work for Torchwood."

He glanced up from the sonic. "What? Why?"

She shook her head and opened the door only to jump as he slapped his palm down upon the metal, slamming it shut. "We aren't finished, Rose. I'm worried about this sudden headache and I want to know what you saw -"

"And I want to know what you're hiding! Guess we'll both go unsatisfied!" Rose sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Doctor my headache has eased off some but I'm tired, bloody well exhausted actually, and I don't have the energy to fight with you tonight, so just drop it."

He grunted. "Then why do you insist upon starting the fight?"

She jerked away and glared at him. "I started it! Why you …" She clenched her hands into fists. Two deep breaths and a silent count to ten had her voice back to its regular octave.

She threw back her shoulders and forced all emotion off of her face. "Doctor. We will be leaving here at oh eight thirty. Be at the hotel entrance if you're coming." She strode to the door but stopped when his hand closed around her arm.

"Rose Tyler." He chuckled but his tone held no humor. "Well that's one way in which you haven't changed, just going to run off in a snit then?"

Rose swallowed back an angry retort and pulled the door open. She stepped through and then turned, meeting his gaze. "Think whatever you like, Doctor, but I'm gonna get some sleep so I can focus on my job." She smirked. "You of all people should understand the whole putting your job before everything and everyone else, yeah?" She met his eyes one last time and then closed the door.


	3. Chapter 3

The Doctor stifled a sigh and averted his eyes from the hunched figure of Rose to once again look out the window. Not that there was much to see outside of clouds but at least they were in a jet and not a zeppelin. No way he'd have been able to sit still for an eight hour trip, three was bad enough.

He closed his eyes and tried not to sulk over Rose burying herself in work. Time Lords did not sulk, thank you very much! Of course, in the honesty of his own mind, and if one couldn't be honest there, well …

She was clearly avoiding him and if her short replies to his queries over her state of health were anything to go by she was still irritated with him. Rasillon! She'd rebuffed him rather thoroughly the last three times he'd tried engaging her in conversation.

What was she playing at? Surely she wouldn't maintain the cold shoulder attitude much longer!

He clenched his fist on the arm of the seat and fought against his urge to try again. He could handle her ignoring him, a little, but refusing to admit she was in pain … who did she think she was fooling? The way she kept squinting and rubbing the back of her neck was a clear indication that her head was aching.

He gulped as images of Rose sprawled in the sand pounding her temples and then her eyes flashing gold in his hotel room crossed his mind. Blimey! She might not remember any of it but he vividly remembered yesterday's events.

His mouth went dry as he replayed the scenes, turning over her words again and again. The common denominator with both episodes had been her head aching and the golden light that reminded him uncomfortably of the vortex energy she had once absorbed.

He scratched his head. He'd taken it from her, or so he thought, but current evidence suggested something remained and based upon the headaches he had to surmise it wasn't good. His examination of her last night, what little she'd allowed, had shown nothing out of the ordinary; pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature all within normal ranges for a human which meant he'd have to convince Rose to let him enter her mind if he wanted an answer to the mystery.

Of course, he could also wait until they arrived at Torchwood and persuade her to submit to a brain scan, though that still wouldn't tell him as much as just looking for himself and his way would be faster too.

He pursed his lips as a thought occurred to him. He wouldn't enter her mind without permission, but that didn't mean … He glanced across the aisle, noting her tense posture and the frown that seemed permanently affixed to her face. Really, he just needed to assure himself that she wasn't in pain.

He closed his eyes and exhaled, lowering his mental shields while soothing his conscious with assurances that he wasn't invading her privacy, just opening himself to any stray thoughts she might be projecting.

Humans routinely broadcast their emotions and even a touch telepath like himself could intercept them without much effort unless he kept his defenses in place but Rose … he'd caught, no been assaulted by Rose's emotions on that damn beach yesterday …

He frowned at the thought of her human mind being capable of projecting strongly enough to break through his mental shields, though to be honest he hadn't bothered with anything but rudimentary protection in years. He sniffed. Bit careless of him really. Still, she'd caused him pain. That was more than just careless surface thoughts from clueless humans. How had she done it?

He exhaled again and let his mind drift. He blocked the hum of contentment coming from Jackie and ignored the faint feelings of the pilots as they worked, concentrating on finding Rose. Sitting so close he should have found her the easiest human to pick up but evidently Rose kept her feelings locked tight, and really, she shouldn't be able to do that; at least not without training.

He sighed and relaxed further, dropping all of his mental armor, and flinched as a jumble of feelings rolled over him. Frustration, anger, confusion, fear, love, sadness; his Rose was an emotional wreck. He gulped and reconstructed his shields. She wasn't currently in physical pain which relieved him of course but her feelings …

Frustration was the strongest feeling and he wondered if it was directed at her work or the current mess between them. He didn't kid himself about her anger and confusion; he knew those could be laid directly at his door, probably the fear and sadness as well, and the love? Well, he hoped so but … she hadn't said it, either on the beach or later in his hotel room.

He rested his chin on his palm and sighed. For a genius he'd certainly made a mess where Rose was concerned. He should have told her his decision concerning the MetaDoctor from the beginning, if not while they were still on board the Tardis then as soon as they landed on Bad Wolf Bay.

He wished he could say that he didn't know why he'd not told her earlier but being honest with himself … really, that whole honesty thing was becoming a bit rubbish. He scrubbed his hands down his face and closed his eyes. He'd been a fool. An old and very foolish alien was what it boiled down to. He'd pretended to be the MetaDoctor to see if Rose loved him even without the whole of 'time and space', to see if he was what she loved or …

Gah! He clutched his hair and slammed the door shut on his wayward thoughts. _This_, THIS was why he didn't do domestic! Although, he snorted, he'd rather committed himself to the slow path, at least for now, and wouldn't that just be the height of irony if, after deciding to give himself fully to a relationship with her, Rose was the one that pulled away?

He scrubbed a hand down his face and glanced across the aisle. She was so beautiful and he'd missed her more than even his considerable brain could have imagined. Being so close to her now …

He allowed his gaze to roam over long legs, curled onto the plush seat, passed the indent of a narrow waist, lingering at the swell of more than bountiful breasts, up an elegant neck that just begged for open mouthed kisses … he stifled a groan and shifted, tugging on his trousers in an attempt to relieve the sudden tightness.

Rasillon! Where had his much vaunted Time Lord control gone? He snorted. No doubt it was drifting in the winds of Bad Wolf Bay. Having made his decision to stay and seek a life and relationship with Rose Tyler, his body must have made a decision to go for broke, without informing his brain.

Was this constant awareness and arousal going to be a permanent thing now? On the one hand it was an exciting prospect but, if the object of his hearts refused to thaw it was going to be a major problem.

He wiggled in his seat and glared at his crotch, sighing when the pressure dropped a few notches. Nice to see he still had command over his physiology, though it certainly took more effort than usual.

He glanced back at Rose. Really, she was being just a tad bit unreasonable. So he'd mislead her, let her think he was leaving her with the MetaDoctor. He'd apologized! Even tried to explain his reasons for the subterfuge but Rose had turned all 'Torchwood Commander' on him and refused to listen! Honestly, a most stubborn woman.

Torchwood. He smiled. Just the distraction he needed … the Doctor crossed his leg and turned his body toward the window, slowly pulling out his sonic screwdriver. Hidden by his body, he aimed it at Rose's laptop.

"So, Jackie Tyler …" he searched for a topic to engage Jackie in conversation to hide the buzz of the sonic. "What have you found to be different in this universe?"

The Doctor smiled as Jackie launched into a rant about the lack of decent telly. He nodded and clucked his tongue in all the right places and flicked the switch on his sonic, glancing down occasionally to see that the download was working.

The Doctor grinned as a flash of light signaled the completion of his task and forced a yawn to stop Jackie's prattle. "It's certainly too bad about there being no Eastenders, Jackie. I'm going to relax a bit and contemplate, see if I can figure out a way to modify your television reception to pick up some intergalactic channels. I seem to recall a thirty-fourth century program from a human colony on Hestrex 4 that was similar. Rose was addicted to it anyway."

Wincing at Jackie's shrieks of joy and the fact that Rose had not once lifted her head from her computer, the Doctor reclined his seat and pulled his jacket across his lap. Once camouflaged, he settled back to read his purloined information.

Scrolling past a handful of emails and memo reminders of upcoming Vitex functions, the Doctor zoomed in on a report on Torchwood's latest projects and investigations. His eyes widened. Rose was correct the communications department was likely a very unhappy bunch right now; losing an AEHF satellite tended to do that.

He skimmed down the page seeking what had caused the highly sophisticated equipment to burn out. He frowned. _An unknown energy signature, point of origin undetectable, pulsed five times at point seven three second intervals at thirteen hundred, yesterday afternoon. AEHF Lupus Major intercepted said signature culminating in circuitry malfunction to sectors four through six of data interface. Critical repairs underway but further assessment suggests –_

The Doctor sniffed and considered Torchwood's latest problem. From Rose's end of the conversation he'd learned scientists were considering the unknown signature to be a result of the dimensional retro-closure, likely basing that hypothesis on the simple fact that both occurred nearly simultaneously.

He tapped his screw driver against his lip and allowed his mind to consider an alternate and much more puzzling theory; one that the Torchwood scientists would not come close to stumbling upon because they were unaware of it.

The Tardis. Based on the times documented in the report, the Doctor couldn't help but draw the conclusion that the answer to the damaged satellite hinged on the dematerializing Tardis but as much as he wracked his frankly brilliant brain, he could think of nothing within the normal operations of the Tardis that would have such an effect on what was clearly inferior technology in comparison to that of the Time Lords.

If only he could analyze the energy signature … he blew through the rest of the report but found nothing pertaining to the readings Rose mentioned. Huffing, he closed the file and pondered the best way to get the information he sought.

"Rose?"

Rose sighed but didn't look up from her computer. "Yes Doctor?"

His lips curled at her annoyed tone but then again, if she was already irritated with him he had nothing to lose …

"I was just wondering what you were working on." He leaned across the aisle, resting his hand on the back of her seat and peering over her shoulder. "Wouldn't have anything to do with that unidentified energy signature you were talking about last night, hmmm?"

Rose snapped the lid of her laptop closed and whipped her head around. The frost in her glare would have frozen a lesser man; lucky he was a Time Lord.

"That is classified information, Doctor."

He flashed what he knew to be a charming smile. "Yeees, well you and I never bothered with rules before ..."

Her lips pursed. "Rules are in place to protect people, Doctor, and … those were different times."

His eyes widened. Oh Rose, what has doing domestic done to you?

Burying his disappointment behind another bright grin, he waggled his eyebrows at her. "Weeell, lucky for you I'm a Time Lord then, hmmm? No one better at changing time …"

Rose stared into his eyes for several seconds, no expression on her face. The Doctor resisted the urge to fidget, wondering what her response would be.

Holding his gaze, she slid the laptop onto the seat next to her and turned to face him, a smile that didn't match her eyes twisting her lips. "So Doctor, we're almost back to London. What are your immediate plans?"

He blinked and leaned back in his seat. Had she just – yep she had. His Rose had just deflected him like a pro. He couldn't take much joy in the fact that she'd learned all she knew from him.

Drawing a deep breath he released it with a sigh and decided to go for disarming and boyish. A sure fire way of wheedling information from reluctant females if ever he'd found one.

Widening his eyes and grinning in a way he knew flashed his dimple; the Doctor pitched his voice higher and whined. "Roooose, I'm expected to have plans? I never have a plan. Pleeease tell me you're joking!"

He smiled as her lips twitched and her eyes showed a hint of a twinkle. Yep, still had it!

"Nope!" Her grin widened as she popped her 'p'. "No joke. No Tardis means you'll have to think about a job, which means you'll need a name and assorted documentation too! Oh,"

Her eyes were definitely twinkling now; clearly she was deriving a great deal of pleasure in the topic. The Doctor began to feel uneasy and the thought briefly crossed his mind that Rose was on to his frankly genius ruse to gather information.

"And you're going to have to go shopping because you can't wear the same thing day in and day out while you're working from nine to five at your _job_."

Ah, here he could certainly out maneuver her. "Shopping Rose? Oh, surely not! He reached into one of his bigger on the inside pockets and searched around until his fingers brushed wool. "Ah hah!" He pulled the corner of his brown pinstriped jacket out and grinned. "You didn't think I came unprepared, did you?"

Rose smirked. "Well, I'll give you that one, Doctor. But …" her smile widened. "Let's not forget the epitome of domestic living." Her voice took on a sing song quality. "You'll have to get a mortgage!"

The minx! The Doctor choked on a laugh, clearly remembering their past conversion underneath a black hole. Leaning forward he met and held her gaze as he shrugged and pitched his voice lower. "Or, I don't know, we could share … if you want."

His gaze drifted to the laptop. "You know, working together too … in fact, we could get started on that part right away."

Rose smirked. "Or not." She pulled the computer back onto her lap before meeting his eyes again. "Because Torchwood has rules and we both know how you feel about those, yeah?" She flashed him a cheeky grin, winked, and then returned to her work.

The Doctor blew out a breath and scrubbed a hand across his face. Had he? He stifled a groan and admitted it; Rose Tyler had just out maneuvered him. He slumped in his seat and prepared for landing.

"ETA nine minutes, if traffic isn't jammed."

The Doctor stared out the window and pretended interest while he listened to Rose's phone call. His lips twitched. Seemed eavesdropping was becoming a regular pastime for him.

"Yeah, I looked over the reports on the flight. Nah, nothing jumped out at me …"

He stifled a sigh and wondered at the changes in Rose. What little conversation they'd had during the trip from Norway had been unproductive in putting their relationship back to where it should have been or in solving the mystery of the satellite.

He searched Rose's face as she concluded her call. His Rose had changed in the years they'd been apart and he was fast concluding that he didn't like those changes.

Oh he was proud of her, she'd obviously risen to a place of rank and respect at Torchwood, but she kept everything of herself walled off, hidden behind a mask of calm efficiency. That was not his Rose.

He shuddered. Was that what living on the slow path did?

The car stopped in front of a tall glass and steel office building and Rose gathered her things as the driver opened the door. She stepped out and he moved to follow only to be stopped short by her hand pressed to his chest.

He sat back and quirked an eyebrow.

Rose's lips twitched. "Sorry Doctor, remember what I said about clearance? You don't have a name or id, I can't get you in." She looked at Jackie. "Mum, do you mind getting the Doctor settled?"

Jackie waved her hand. "Sure Rose, though how I'm supposed to keep him from blowin' something up when he gets bored –"

"Oh, he'll be fine. Tony will keep him occupied."

Jackie snorted. "Oh yeah, just what I need, two toddlers runnin' amuck."

"Oi! He is right here and –"

"Look, I've got to run, they're waitin' on me." Rose backed away.

"Rose! You're comin' over tonight, right?"

Rose met Jackie's eyes and shook her head. "I'm not promisin', depends on how long the meeting runs." She dragged a hand through her hair and glanced over her shoulder. "I really have to go." Her gaze met his but quickly skittered back to her mum. "I'll … I"ll call you but if we work late I'll probably just go home."

His mouth dropped open as she turned and entered the building. Had she just – he looked at Jackie. "She just … like I'm a bloody pet! She –"

"Yeah, I see that." Jackie shrugged and motioned for the driver to close the door. "Well, looks like you're with me, Sunny Jim." She chuckled. "At least until you figure out how to win back my daughter."

The Doctor flopped back against the seat. Win her back? He frowned. He refused to believe he'd ever lost her. The look on her face when they'd met on that deserted street and their reunion, albeit brief, on the Tardis after he'd healed himself told him all he needed to know about Rose's feelings for him.

Her current behavior stemmed directly from his actions on that damned beach and while he would allow that said actions deserved a bit of Tyler ire enough was enough, time to remind his Rose that he was the Lord of Time not the Tin Dog.

He tapped the glass divider and motioned for the driver to pull over.

"What are you doing?"

The Doctor stepped out of the car and grinned at Jackie. "Going to win back Rose." He winked at her and jogged off toward Torchwood.

Rose smiled and nodded acknowledgment to people as she hurried down the hall to the lift, trying her best to pull her wayward emotions under control. The doors slid shut and she let her mask fall. She'd left the Doctor. Left him with her Mum! God! He must be furious.

She bit her lip and watched the numbers flash as the lift climbed. She pulled out her phone, finger hovering over her mother's number. She really should call him and apologize, admit she hadn't been thinking clearly and she'd see him later, bring him credentials …

She snapped her phone shut as the memory of his cocky grin flitted into her mind. No, she wouldn't call him. Let the Doctor stew for a bit; see what being left behind felt like.

He'd tried to pull that flirting crap on the plane just to see what she was working on … she snorted. Really, why had she been surprised? Manipulation was standard operating procedure for the Time Lord.

And maybe, just maybe she'd had enough. She was a Torchwood Commander, not some nineteen year old shop girl, and it was time he saw her that way. She straightened her jacket and smoothed her hair as a ding announced her floor.

She strode toward the Dimension Cannon lab but was derailed by another round of hugs and congratulations. She glanced at the clock and gave only curt replies but the detour still took ten minutes.

Rose sighed as the last colleague drifted away letting her continue on to the lab. Apology on her lips, she stepped into the room and skidded to a stop. Her mouth dropped open as she stared.

"Oh, hello, Rose! Glad you could make it. I was just telling Malcolm my theory on what killed your AEHF satellite."

Rose's mouth opened and closed several times before her brain caught up. She marched over and grabbed his arm, hissing. "What are you doing here? You don't have clearance and –"

"My clearance." He winked and held up the psychic paper and his screwdriver.

Rose saw red. How dare he? Honestly, this was just too much! She had to work with these people and there were rules and protocols –

"Ah Rose, welcome back, sweetheart!" She allowed Pete to pull her into a hug and whispered in his ear. "I'm so sorry, Dad! I told him - but he just thinks he can –"

"Oh, no problem, Rose." Pete chuckled and nodded toward the Doctor. "Smart thinking, bringing the Doctor with you. We'd of never connected the Tardis dematerialization to our burned out satellite."

Rose gaped as Pete moved away, joining the Doctor, Malcolm, and the rest of her team as they discussed the energy signature that had wreaked havoc on their AEHF. She leaned against a workbench and tried to follow the discussion but her anger was only letting bits and pieces of the conversation through.

"So, while the retro closure was a good theory I don't think it is the root cause. But, until I've analyzed the energy signature I can't confirm that the Tardis …"

"Oh, I've got the readouts right here, Doctor. The team and I haven't been able to ascertain what the chemicals are but we've managed to isolate two of the highest concentrations and conclude that that seem to form a compound. I'm sure you'll be able to tell us what they are in record time though."

Rose grit her teeth as her chief scientist, Dr. Malcom Taylor, the wonderkin, renowned in scientific circles all over the globe, fawned over the Doctor like a fanboy. She glanced at her other team members and saw similar looks of awe.

Really, every one of these people were the best in their fields, their device had assisted in saving the multi-verse and here they were bowing and scraping before the Doctor like he was …

She shook her head. She had to admit that he was a bloody genius and ate the impossible for breakfast but still …

What was wrong with her? She'd always teased the Doctor, but he was in fact _impressive_ and worthy of respect from every species in the universe, multi-verse actually, so why did it bother her to see her team –

"Rose?"

She blinked and met the Doctor's eyes. What had he asked her? "Um, sorry, I didn't catch –"

"No matter, understandable you'd have trouble focusing. Not like you got much sleep last night, hmm?"

He flashed his cheeky grin and Rose frowned as her colleagues hid knowing smiles. "No that's not …" her gaze darted around the room looking for something to explain her lack of attention. She heaved an internal sigh as she noticed the bronze looking cube that she'd read about on the plane.

"No, I was just wondering if this piece of alien tech could be involved." She walked over to the table and reached for it. "I mean, we documented that it entered the atmosphere in the same time period as both the energy signature and the Tardis leaving so –"

Rose gasped as her fingers closed around the cube. A jolt of mind numbing pain shot through her temples as she was blinded by a bright light. Howling winds enveloped her making her ears ring but a whisper of sound pierced the storm. A haunting melody joined the raging winds and ribbons of glittering gold dust began to form from the center of the light, dancing and weaving around her clenched fingers …

"Oh, that is a possibility we should consider, very good Miss Tyler!"

Rose blinked and stared down at the cube she could have sworn she was just holding as Malcolm continued to prattle on about connections and coincidences. She rubbed her aching head and then jumped as a cool hand fell upon her shoulder.

"You all right?"

Rose met the Doctor's eyes and nodded. She frowned at the worry evident on his face. "Is something wrong? I could have sworn –"

"Not here." He squeezed her shoulder and stepped away, joining the team's conversation.

Rose pretended to listen but her headache was starting to become insistent and she didn't protest when the Doctor called a halt to the meeting and directed her toward the door.

She let him lead her to the lift. They were alone but she waited for the doors to close before asking. "Did something happen in the lab?"

"What makes you ask that? You were there …" The look he gave her was curious but casual; Rose didn't buy it.

"I remember picking up that cube and then –"She gasped and grabbed her head as a shooting pain rendered her speechless.

The Doctor's arms closed around her and she allowed herself to lean into him until the pain lessened. "Oh my God, my head is killin' me!"

He stiffened. "Don't try to remember now. Let's get you home and then –"The doors opened onto the lobby, cutting his words off.

Rose nodded and stepped out. They were halfway to the front entrance when a loud, gruff voice boomed. "Rose Tyler!"

Despite her aching head and desire for nothing so much as her bed, Rose grinned and turned, squeaking as strong arms enfolded her, spinning her around in a joyous hug.

Giggling, she squealed to be put down but stayed within the man's embrace. "Pop!"She smiled at the daft grin that split the big man's face.

"So glad to see you're smilin' face again!" He squeezed her again and laughed. Thought you weren't comin' back, Dot."

She grinned. "It's good to see you too, Pop. I wasn't planning to return but, well, plans change." She gestured behind her to where the Doctor stood scowling. "Helped save the multi-verse and found what I was looking for so … here I am!"

He laughed and kissed her cheek. "So you are and I for one am grateful." He glanced toward the Doctor and held out his hand. "I'm guessin' yer our Rose's Doctor then? Colonel Chris Michaelson, Tactical Training Commander."

The Doctor took Pop's hand, for which Rose was grateful, but the look on his face was anything but friendly. She tuned out his lack luster greeting, wondering what his problem was but her head felt like a brass band had taken up residence so she dismissed the thought, no telling what had the alien in a funk.

"So, Dot. Since you haven't swanned off to another universe after all are we still on for our Thursday night chippie run? I'll even treat this time."

Rose frowned and rubbed her temples. "Umm, probably. Let me get back to you. I've got to get the Doctor settled and I need –"

"I need to get Rose into bed."

Rose gaped at the Doctor as a warm flush spread across her face. "Uh …"

He smiled and took her hand as he met Pop's eyes. "She hasn't had much sleep and her head is aching. I'm sure you understand. Traveling dimensions, saving all of creation …"

Pop nodded at the Doctor. "'Course." He took Rose's chin in his hand. Blue eyes searched her face for several minutes before he released her. "You're lookin' peaked, Dot. Best do as this chap says and get yourself home. Nice cuppa and a soft mattress, that's what you need."

"All right, I'm outvoted, but I'll call ya, 'k?" Rose smiled and allowed the Doctor to pull her toward the door.

Hailing a taxi, Rose gave the address of her flat and then slumped in her seat. The surge of energy she'd felt at seeing Pop had fled and she found herself almost too tired to yawn. She closed her eyes and leaned her aching head against the cool glass but didn't protest when the Doctor pulled her close and began to gently work the knotted muscles in her neck.

She gave in and allowed herself to pretend that all was right between them. Just for the moment she would revel in the comfort his presence had always and would always bring her. She snuggled closer and he pressed a light kiss to her forehead. Rose sighed, the ache in her temples eased and within minutes she was fast asleep.


End file.
